The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-16
A Typical Platform and Ticket


If anyone doubts that the Republican
party has ceased to be great and strong
organization having principles which ap-
peal to the judgments and hearts of the
people and guided by men having pur-
poses above the mere control of the offices,
let him read the platform adopted by the
New York Republican convention and
notice the ticket which it nominated. The
whole aim of both is to catch votes. The
platform states that the Republican party
is in favor of honest civil service reform,
and condemns the President for not en-
forcing the civil service law 1t has not
been so very many years since the Republi
can party pretended to enforce a civil SER
vice law, but its efforts were so feeble that
the law was soon wholly ignored and for
gotten. 1t is perfectly safe to say that if
the Republican party were now in power
the civil service law would soon become a
dead letter.
The platform also states that the Repub-
lican party favors such an adjustment of
the tariff that the revenues will be only
sufficient to meet the wants of the govern
ment economically administered. 1t is
fact that will not be denied that the Repub-
licans in Congress resist every effort to adj
just the revenues to the needs of the gov
eminent. 1t is the baldest kind of insincer-
ity, therefore, to pretend to favor any adj
justment Of the tariff. The Republican
party don't want the tariff disturbed because
it about suits the monopolists who are as
sisted by it to make immense profits from
the various kinds of business in which they
are engaged. They would like to have the
whisky and tobacco taxes repealed, and
whatever surplus there remains they want
to have distributed in the Northern States
in the shape of pensions.
The part Of the platform, however, for
which there is the least reason, and which
shows the sectional character of the party,
is that which declares that workingmen in
the South must be protected in their politi-
cal rights, and that they must be permitted
to have free ballot and fair count 1t is
strange that the Republican leaders do not
furnish some proof of their constantly
reiterated charge that voters at the South
are not permitted to cast their ballots as
they please, and that ballots are not counted
as they are cast. They must think that the
Northern people are easily deceived if they
expect them to accept as true the bare state
ment that there is not freedom in voting at
the South.
The fact is the Republican party has lost
whatever character it had, and is simply
existing upon its past reputation. Having
very low standard of morality it aims to
secure return to power by deception. In
its platform it pretends to favor the sup
preston of the liquor traffic, but the advo-
Gates of temperance do not trust it, They
know very well that what it wants to do is
to prevent its members from leaving it for
the Prohibition party. The great mistake
which politicians make is in thinking that
they can deceive the people by hollow prom
ises and pledges. The reason that Mr..
Cleveland has such a strong hold upon the
masses is that he does what he says he will
The humblest workingman who can read is
not slow to feel whatever insincerity there
is in party platform.
Col Fred d. Grant leads the ticket Why
was he chosen to that positions Was it be-
cause he has great ability or has rendered
the Republican party great services! Not
at all. 1t is hoped that his fathers great
name will strengthen the ticket. Col. Grant
is conspicuous for only one thing, and that
is his business connection with that Napo-
leon of finance, Ferdinand Ward, who at
present is serving term in the peniten-
tiary